Meet You There

Meet You There - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Weeks passed. Some days, I tried to pretend like I'd never met Bennett at all. I would wake up and have breakfast and go to school. I would sit through classes, trying my best to focus. I completed assignments and wrote tests. I sent away my college applications, essays and all. I was getting by, somehow. But then, of course, there was Kelly. A constant reminder that Bennett existed. He was real and he was back in rehab. She took me under her wing, so to speak. Other kids - especially Josie and Polly - looked at me like Poor Iris, but not Kelly. She understand. She missed him, too.

   I tried, hard, to keep up the best I could. I put all my sadness and anger into making sure this was all worth it. I still had to succeed. I had to get into NYU. 

   I wanted to talk to Bennett, more than anything. I just wanted him to know that I was there, still missing him, as the weeks passed by. But Kelly and I didn't talk much about him. At school, we sat together in class and at lunch. She would make me a part of her conversation with her friends, whether it was about parties or boys or whatever. I knew she was just trying to make things normal for me. But it wasn't enough.

   College acceptance letters would be coming in March. Once I knew whether or not I got into NYU, I could start a game plan. The not-knowing was the worst part. It made time pass enough slower. The waiting was almost more than I could take. I wished I could fall asleep and wake up to spring.

   Maribella called and texted often, but she was the one thing that I couldn't keep up with. I didn't mean to just leave her hanging, but she didn't know how to act or what to say. I'd talked to her only a few times over the new few weeks and it was always a lot of awkward silence.

   It was February before I decided to try to repair the damage. I'd been laying in bed on Sunday afternoon, thinking about her and how she'd come into my life just when I needed a friend. She had been there through a lot and I didn't want to lose her like this.

   HEY. ARE YOU WORKING? I texted her.

   A few minutes passed. Just when I thought maybe she had given up on me, she replied.

   I AM.

   OKAY, SEE YOU SOON, I sent.

   I got dressed, brushed my teeth and then put on my boots and jacket. Down the street, I slipped into Java Hut and order my coffee and a latte for her. When I walked into Anita's it had been about thirty minutes since I'd talked to Maribella.

   "Wow. You're alive," she said, looking both relieved and annoyed.

   "I... I am sorry. It's been a really shitty few weeks," I told her, walking to the counter.

   "More like six weeks," she said, shaking her. "It's a long time to not see someone."

   I put the latte on the counter in front of her and pushed it towards her. "I know. I'm sorry."

   "I could have been there for you, you know? Like I friend would have been." I could tell she was upset, but she accepted the latte, so that was a good sign.

   "I know. It was just easier for me to ignore everyone," I admitted.

   She sighed, but sipped her drink. "I missed you."

   I smiled, which was amazing because I hadn't smiled in a long time. "I missed you too. How was your birthday?"

   "Oh, it was good. My grandma threw a big party with my cousins and stuff. It's pretty fun." She smiled, so I knew she wasn't mad at me anymore.